{"id":7135,"date":"2019-06-06T05:51:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T05:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7135"},"modified":"2021-04-12T16:35:33","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T16:35:33","slug":"14-typical-causes-of-lower-left-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-typical-causes-of-lower-left-back-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Typical Causes of Lower Left Back Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Back pain<\/a> is something that almost everyone will experience at some point in their lives. For some, back pain is just a minor annoyance that comes and goes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, lower back pain can quickly become more than a minor inconvenience. If there is something going on with the spine or the muscles surrounding the back, it can cause pain that can quickly become quite a problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 24 vertebrae located in the back as well as the bones of the coccyx and the sacrum. These bones support the body and help to protect the spinal cord\u2019s column of nerves that are connected to the brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discs, which are made up of cartilage act as shock absorbers. There are also muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints that hold the vertebrae together. With all of these parts that have to work together to function, it is quite easy to see why something may go wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the more common causes of lower left back pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Overuse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common reasons that a person may experience in their lower back is quite simple, overexertion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you spend the day doing yard work or shoveling snow, you may experience pain in your lower back. Doing any type of work such as this can cause your back to ache <\/a>if you overdo it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the pain in your back occurs after a long day of aggressive work, there is a chance that you may have injured one of the muscles or ligaments that are located throughout the back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You also may have just overstretched an area in your back. If you have recently done some type of work like this, chances are that the injury or the pain that you are feeling will subside on its own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply taking some time to rest will often allow your body to recover from this overexertion. If you are still in pain after a few days it is important to seek care from a medical professional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Disk Herniation or Degeneration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a person ages, the round, flat disks that create a cushion between the bones located in the spinal column will begin to break down. This can cause a person to feel stiffness <\/a>or pain as the disks start to collapse completely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the disks collapse the bones will start to rub up against each other. When this occurs it is referred to by doctors as degenerative disk disease. When the disks start to herniate, the jelly filling will push on the outer ring of the disks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure of the fluid can cause a person to experience lower back pain. If it herniates or breaks, the jelly substance will come out of the coating of the disk. This is often referred to as a slipped disk. This fluid that leaks out can irritate the nerves that surround the area. When this occurs a person may experience discomfort that may run down each of the legs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Alignment Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are some people who have an abnormal curve located in the spine<\/a>. This abnormal curve is referred to as scoliosis. This condition may occur in older people who have arthritis, during adolescence, and it may even start during childhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scoliosis may not cause a person’s pain until they are older when it starts to place pressure on the nerves located through the spinal cord. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another alignment issue that a person may experience is called degenerative spondylolisthesis. This condition happens when the ligaments that are responsible for holding the spine in place start to wear down with time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bones of the back may slip out of their proper position. They may slide down until one is on top of the other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the bones start to compress the nerves in the spine. Alignment issues may start with pain or other deformities in the ankle or foot that change how you walk. This can stretch the tendons and ligaments beyond the normal range. Pain in the lower back may follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Fractures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another common cause of lower left back pain could be caused by a fracture<\/a>. Vertebrae may be broken during an accident or a simple fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, a fracture will develop in the lower back as the result of a disease that causes the bones to become thinner. This type of bone-thinning disease is called osteoporosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person who is suffering from osteoporosis may develop fractures in any of their bones as they age and their bones become thinner. With time, the vertebrae of a person who is suffering from osteoporosis may even crumble. When this occurs, a person may experience pain any time that they move in certain ways as certain movements can cause the bones to compress the nerves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pain may be experienced in the lower left part of the back or even down the legs. Osteoporosis increases the risk of bone breakage, which is why people who suffer from this disease need to be extremely careful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Tumors and Infections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several rare infections that can be quite serious. These infections can attack the vertebrae and cause a person to experience an extreme amount of pain. This condition is referred to as osteomyelitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another issue that a person may develop is called discitis. Discitis is when the disks located between the vertebrae become inflamed. When this occurs a person may experience pain as the inflammation causes pressure on the nerves, sending pain throughout the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another cause of lower back pain that is not necessarily common, but still occurs is cancer. The pain that is caused by cancer may be a result of tumors forming throughout the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the tumors <\/a>from near or on the spinal cord it can cause a person to experience back pain as the tumors grow and spread. If you are experiencing unexplained lower back pain it is important to see your doctor right away to determine the underlying cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Spinal Stenosis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People who are suffering from degenerative disk disease may also develop a condition that is called spinal stenosis. This happens when the body responds to the degenerative disk disease by developing new bone. This new bone is referred to as spurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of the spurs is to help support the spine. However, these spurs can actually cause more harm than good, depending on where they form and what added pressure <\/a>they put on the spine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osteoarthritis can cause the ligaments that connect the vertebrae to thicken. The changes to the vertebrae can cause the spinal canal to narrow. This can result in pain located throughout the back. It can also cause a person to experience numbness in their legs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often times this condition will impair a person\u2019s ability to walk and if it becomes very severe a person may require surgery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Health Conditions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several other health issues that are not related to the spine <\/a>that can actually cause a person to experience pain in the lower back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some examples of health issues that are not just issues with your joints and muscles in the back that may cause you to be experiencing lower back pain include kidney stones, kidney diseases, pregnancy, urinary tract infections, appendicitis, and fibromyalgia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have not done anything strenuous recently that may be the cause of your back pain and you are experiencing pain in the lower area of your back, seeking medical advice is a good idea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The back pain that you are experiencing may be a sign of some other type of health condition and it is important to find out the exact underlying cause of the pain that you are experiencing. Proper care and treatment for these conditions are important for your overall health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Fibromyalgia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fibromyalgia <\/a>is a condition that affects mostly women. This condition is recognized as being a disturbance in the natural way that a body deals with certain types of pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many people who suffer from back pain, it is not simply a structural abnormality. Instead, the back pain is caused by the impairment of the pain processing mechanisms. When these processing mechanisms are not functioning properly, the brain can become overly sensitive to sensory input. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, there can be a lack of natural mechanisms in place to help inhibit the pain that a person is experiencing. It is important to make sure that you seek proper medical attention for any back pain that you are experiencing that lasts more than a few days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing what is causing the pain in your back is the first step on the road to recovering from the issues that you are having. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. PID
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Pelvic inflammatory disease is a chronic condition affecting women. PID occurs due to bacterial infection of the urethra, which leads to the development of a urinary tract infection<\/a>. 
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It’s most common for bacteria, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, to cause the initial infection. If the affected individual does not seek treatment for the disease, it may start to migrate up the urethra to the bladder, and it may also begin to infect the cervix.
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As the infection spreads, the affected individual may start to notice sensations of extreme pain emanating from the pelvis and lower back. If the bacteria migrate towards the ovaries, it can cause severe complications that may result in infertility. If left untreated, PID can become a life-threatening situation. 
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Doctors treat PID using antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to reduce the inflammation and resolve the infection. In most cases, it’s possible to reverse the effects of PID, provided that the patient seeks treatment before the onset of the chronic phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10. Sciatica
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If you notice pain in your lower left back, that spreads towards the hips and the back of the knee; it could be due to the onset of sciatica. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower lumbar spine, through the hip joint, and down the back of the leg. As the nerve passes through the hip, it runs through a muscle known as the piriformis. 
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When the piriformis inflames, it traps the sciatic nerve, resulting in nerve pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, this is not a chronic condition, and it’s possible to reverse the effects of pain and discomfort using stretching<\/a>. In most cases, tight hamstrings are responsible for the situation, and relieving tension in these muscles will help to release the trapped nerve.
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Sciatica is more common in people over the age of 40, that live a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting on a chair in the office all day may also cause an imbalance in the hip flexor muscles, resulting in sciatica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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11. Spondylosis
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Spondylosis <\/a>is a generative bone disease that affects the vertebrae and discs in the lumbar spine. Patients who are dealing with the disease experience a steady degradation of the vertebra and cartilage. Most cases of spondylosis occur in people over the age of 40-years old, that live a sedentary lifestyle, and who are dealing with other conditions such as osteoarthritis.
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When the discs and vertebrae start to lose structural integrity, they may trap nerves in the lower lumbar area, resulting in pain in the lower left-back. Unfortunately, this is a chronic condition with no cure, and the patient will have to make lifestyle changes, and use medication, to manage their symptoms. The patient should stop eating refined carbohydrates and avoid lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking, which may exacerbate the condition.
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People who spend the majority of the day in a seated position may also create an imbalance in the hip flexors, which further worsens the degradation of the vertebrae and discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12. Endometriosis 
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The endometrium is the medical term for the lining of the uterus. Endometriosis describes a condition where the uterine lining starts to grow outside of the uterus<\/a>, resulting in sensations of extreme pain in the pelvic area and lower back.
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Women who are dealing with the disease find that the endometrial tissue starts to grow on the bowels, ovaries, and the tissues lining the pelvis. In the majority of cases, this disorder limits its effects to the pelvic area. However, in some cases, the patient may experience the growth of the tissues outside of this area.
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Medical science believes that this condition occurs due to changes in hormones during the menstrual cycle affecting the endometrial tissues. As a result, the masses start to inflame, producing symptoms of pain and discomfort in the affected individual. Over time the endometrial tissues continue to grow and thicken, and then they begin to break down, becoming trapped in the pelvic area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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13. Premenstrual Syndrome
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PMS<\/a> describes a condition that occurs during and after the days around the menstrual cycle. The condition may affect a person’s physical health, emotions, and behavior patterns during the days surrounding the menstrual cycle. PMS is a common condition and affects up to 90-percent of women. The situation is not chronic and in most cases were resolved on its own a few days after menstruation ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women who are dealing with PMS, experience irritation, and low mood, along with symptoms of cramping and pain – depending on the extent of the condition. PMS affects every person differently, and there is no set guideline for what you can expect from the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical professionals believe the PMS occurs due to changes in hormones and serotonin levels during the beginning of menstruation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the woman enters her menstrual cycle, the body increases levels of progesterone and estrogen, which are responsible for the symptoms associated with the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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14. Prostatitis
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The prostate <\/a>is a walnut-shaped gland located under the bladder in men. The prostate surrounds the urethra, allowing for control of the flow of urine, leaving the bladder and entering the urethra. The prostate is a vital part of male sexual reproductive health, and men that experienced the onset of prostatitis may develop the condition due to bacterial infection of the prostate gland.
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When the bacteria enter the prostate, it causes inflammation leading to swelling of the gland. Men may also experience dysfunction in urination, as well as disruption in semen production. Bacterial prostatitis is the most severe form of the condition, and symptoms of the infection include pain and swelling in the affected area, along with disruption in urinary output, which may cause dribbling.
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Patients who experience bacterial prostatitis may require the use of antibiotics to eliminate the infection and return the prostate to ordinary functioning order. However, should the patient experience the onset of asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, they may not notice any physiological symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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